Abstract: Background- TC, LA, MCM, plants (Family: Cucurbitaceae) are widely used in traditional medicine and an important source of vegetables in the world. Objective- This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical constituents of the 95% ethanolic extract obtained from the TC, LA, MCM whole plants as well as to study the antioxidant activity by DPPH assay. Materials and Methods- Mechanically plant powdered extracted in the soxhlet apparatus & phytochemical screening, DPPH assay performed by following the standard protocols. Results- The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of Phenols & Steroids in all TC, LA, MCM whole plants, Alkaloids in TC, MC, Saponins in MC, LA and Glycosides only in TC plant. The percentage of the inhibition and IC50 were measured, results showed that the DPPH free radicals were scavenged by all extract in a concentration dependent manner. Conclusion- These dietary cucurbits showed appreciable antioxidant activity and are good sources of natural antioxidants. Future pharmaceutical uses can be deducted from these findings.
Abbreviations: TC: Trichosanthes cucumerina, LA: Luffa acutangula, MCM: Momordica charantia- muricata DPPH: 2 , 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl